Refrigerated cargo carrying vehicles are commonly used to transport goods which must be maintained at less than ambient temperature. For example, a refrigerated trailer pulled by a tractor is commonly used for this purpose.
The interior of a refrigerated trailer is commonly cooled by a refrigeration unit carried on the front or forward wall of the trailer. One common type of refrigeration unit is generally in the form of a relatively large rectangular solid and it projects forwardly from the front wall of the refrigerated trailer.
It is known to reduce the aerodynamic drag of various forms of cargo carrying vehicles. For example, Hersh U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,069 shows an aerodynamic drag-reducing apparatus for mounting on the forward face of a trailer or cargo carrying box of a truck. FitzGerald et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,078,395 and FitzGerald et al U.S. Design Pat. No. D. 245,246 show apparatuses for reducing the aerodynamic drag of a refrigerated trailer. These apparatuses are adapted to be mounted on the trailer and to substantially enclose the refrigeration unit. It is also known to mount drag-reducing apparatuses to both the trailer and the refrigeration unit.
The drag-reducing apparatuses of the FitzGerald et al patents do reduce the aerodynamic drag of the refrigerated trailer to provide a significant savings in fuel. However, these apparatuses have been found to be subject to stresses which can reduce the useful life of the wind deflector.
With the patented constructions, access to the refrigeration unit is provided by a multiplicity of access doors. Although the doors are adequate for many applications, they tend to be damaged and knocked off, they increase the cost of the wind deflector and they do not provide as much access to the refrigeration unit as is sometimes desired.
If the refrigeration unit cannot be repaired quickly, it must be replaced very rapidly to prevent spoilage of the product being transported by the trailer. The time for replacement of the patented units is greater than desired because it is first necessary to disconnect the wind deflector from the trailer and then demount the refrigeration unit.